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Creative Practice as Mutual Recovery

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Individuals Experiencing Mild or Moderate Mental Health Issues
Interventions
Other: Group drumming (participatory)
Other: Group drumming (live)
Other: Comparative activity
Other: Group drumming (recorded)
Registration Number
NCT01906892
Lead Sponsor
Royal College of Music
Brief Summary

This study explores the hypothesis that mental health service users, their carers and musicians can - through the creative act of music learning and performing - mutually enhance wellbeing through the development of more meaningful and resilient lives. The project seeks to explore three interconnected issues: (i) the extent to which music learning and performing provides a forum for 'mutual recovery' among adult mental health service users, their formal/informal carers, and musicians, (ii) the characteristic features of 'mutual recovery' through music, and (iii) the underlying mechanisms of such 'mutual recovery'.

The study will consist of three different stages. Stages 1 and 2 will examine the effect of a variety of group activities - including participatory music, listening to live music, listening to recorded music and a non-music control - on psychological scales, saliva samples of stress hormones and cytokines, and subjective experience to see which provide the most relaxing, sociable and supportive environments for mutual recovery. Stage 3 will explore the impact of musical interventions over longer periods of time.

A systematic review we have just carried out has revealed a major gap in research comparing different music interventions and testing the effects of different lengths of interventions. As a result, our study should help us answer the following questions:

* Which aspect(s) of music can contribute to mutual recovery?

* Do carers, patients and musicians all respond to the same activities, or do some musical activities suit certain groups more than others?

* Do carers, patients and musicians all recover at the same rate?

* What length of intervention is most effective?

If certain interventions are found to produce stronger results than others, these results could help guide community groups and healthcare settings in their design of music activities and have implications for the spending of arts-in-health budgets.

Detailed Description

Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
150
Inclusion Criteria
  • Individuals of either gender and over the age of 18 who are experiencing mild or moderate mental health issues including but not limited to: stress, anxiety, depression etc.
  • Individuals of either gender and over the age of 18 who formally or informally care for mental health service users.
  • Musicians who are professional workshop leaders and music students training to be professional musicians.
Exclusion Criteria
  • Serious mental health problems which might

    1. prevent an individual from giving informed consent
    2. cause the individual to be a disruption to other participants
  • Individuals for whom the music activity might conflict with other routine care.

  • Individuals with gum disease which would invalidate saliva samples.

  • Total deafness or severely impaired hearing.

  • Musicians or music students who apply to participate in the project but who are not deemed to have sufficient experience or expertise.

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
CROSSOVER
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
1aGroup drumming (participatory)6 weeks of group drumming workshops
2cGroup drumming (live)2 weeks of listening to live group drumming followed by 2 weeks of listening to recordings of group drumming
2aGroup drumming (participatory)2 weeks of active group drumming followed by 2 weeks of control activity involving a literary-based activity
2bGroup drumming (live)2 weeks of the literary-based comparative activity followed by 2 weeks of watching live group drumming
2bComparative activity2 weeks of the literary-based comparative activity followed by 2 weeks of watching live group drumming
2cGroup drumming (recorded)2 weeks of listening to live group drumming followed by 2 weeks of listening to recordings of group drumming
2aComparative activity2 weeks of active group drumming followed by 2 weeks of control activity involving a literary-based activity
2dGroup drumming (participatory)2 weeks of listening to recorded group drumming followed by 2 weeks of participation in group drumming
3aGroup drumming (participatory)10 weeks of participatory group drumming workshops
1bGroup drumming (participatory)6 weeks of group drumming workshops
3bGroup drumming (participatory)10 weeks of engagement with other non-musical social activities
2dGroup drumming (recorded)2 weeks of listening to recorded group drumming followed by 2 weeks of participation in group drumming
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being ScaleChange from baseline (recorded in the week prior to participation in either 6 or 10 weeks of music interventions) to the end of participation in the music interventions
Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Saliva levels of cortisolChange from baseline (taken immediately before the music intervention) when measured immediately following the 60 or 90 minute music intervention session
Secker's 'Measure of social inclusion for arts and mental health project participants'Change from baseline (recorded in the week prior to participation in either 6 or 10 weeks of music interventions) to (a) the end of participation in the music interventions, and (b) 3 months after the end of music interventions
Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC)Change from baseline (recorded in the week prior to participation in either 6 or 10 weeks of music interventions) to (a) the end of participation in the music interventions, and (b) 3 months after the end of music interventions
Hospital Anxiety and Depression ScaleChange from baseline (recorded in the week prior to participation in either 6 or 10 weeks of music interventions) to (a) the end of participation in the music interventions, and (b) 3 months after the end of music interventions
Blood pressureChange from baseline (taken immediately before the music intervention) when measured immediately following the 60 or 90 minute music intervention session
Saliva levels of salivary immunoglobulin AChange from baseline (taken immediately before the music intervention) when measured immediately following the 60 or 90 minute music intervention session
Saliva levels of interleukins including IL6Change from baseline (taken immediately before the music intervention) when measured immediately following the 60 or 90 minute music intervention session
Heart rateChange from baseline (taken immediately before the music intervention) when measured immediately following the 60 or 90 minute music intervention session

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Centre for Performance Science, Royal College of Music

🇬🇧

London, United Kingdom

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